Wikipedia

Maher al-Sharaa

Maher al-Sharaa
ماهر الشرع
Al-Sharaa in 2025
Secretary-General to the Presidency
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 April 2025
PresidentAhmed al-Sharaa
DeputyAli Keda[a]
Preceded byAbdul Rahman Salama
Acting Minister of Health
In office
16 December 2024 – 29 March 2025
PresidentAhmed al-Sharaa[b]
Prime MinisterMohammed al-Bashir
Preceded byMazen Dukhan
Succeeded byMusaab Nazzal al-Ali
Personal details
Born1973 (age 51–52)
Damascus, Syria
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (until 2025)
SpouseTatyana Zakirova
Children3
ParentHussein al-Sharaa (father)
Relatives
(brothers)[1]
OccupationPolitician, physician

Maher al-Sharaa[c] is a Syrian politician and physician who is currently serving as the Secretary-General to the Presidency since April 2025. He previously served as the Acting Minister of Health in the Syrian caretaker government from December 2024 to March 2025. He is the brother of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the current President of Syria.

Born in Damascus, Syria, he spent many years living in the Russian city of Voronezh, where he earned a diploma in health systems management from Burdenko Voronezh State Medical University in 2000. He also holds a doctorate in medical sciences and has completed multiple advanced training programs at both the Voronezh Medical Academy and Voronezh State Medical University. In July 2022, he flew to İzmir, Turkey, and has not returned to Russia since. He later reappeared in Syria as part of the caretaker government.

On 5 April 2025, Maher al-Sharaa was appointed Secretary-General, a position considered one of the highest-ranking posts in the Syrian state. During his tenure, he met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Patriarch John X of Antioch. In October 2025, he accompanied his brother Ahmed and other Syrian officials when they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Early life and education

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Maher al-Sharaa was born in 1973 in Damascus, Syria. He is the eldest son of the Syrian economist and writer Hussein al-Sharaa.[2] He previously used the name “Maher al-Hussein” and kept it secret that he was Ahmed’s brother.[3]

Al-Sharaa reportedly spent many years living in the Russian city of Voronezh, where he earned a diploma in health systems management from the Burdenko Voronezh State Medical University in 2000. He later completed a specialization in obstetrics and gynecology at the same institution in 2004. He also holds a doctorate in medical sciences and has participated in multiple advanced training programs at both the Voronezh Medical Academy and Voronezh State Medical University.[4] The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) stated that al-Sharaa served at Syria’s Minister of Health as head of the gynecology department until 2012, when he was arrested and fled the Assad regime.[5]

Between 2004 and 2013, al-Sharaa worked in several hospitals across Syria. He later returned to Voronezh, where he practiced in various women’s health clinics.[4] From 2014 to 2018, he worked at Abha Maternity and Children’s Hospital, and in 2018, he joined Es Class Clinic, a medical center in Russia.[6] From 2014 to 2021, he also served as a gynecologist at the Road Clinical Hospital in Voronezh.[7]

Agentstvo also cited a doctor-review website that listed al-Sharaa as a Voronezh-based obstetrician-gynecologist with 25 years of experience and a five-star rating as of December 2023.[8]

According to the SSG, he worked between several regional Arab and Western countries and in northern Syria from 2022 to 2023.[5] Based on information from Russian border authorities, al-Sharaa flew to İzmir, Turkey, in July 2022 and has not returned to Russia since. He later resurfaced in Syria as part of the Syrian caretaker government.[6]

Political career

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Al-Sharaa meets Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, September 2025

Al-Sharaa was an advisor to the minister of health in the Syrian Salvation Government.[9]

Acting Minister of Health (2024–2025)

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On 16 December 2024, he was appointed acting Minister of Health in the Syrian caretaker government. According to the Shaam News Network, the appointment was seen as nepotistic, since al-Sharaa is the brother of Syrian de facto leader (and later president) Ahmed al-Sharaa.[9] On 31 December, al-Sharaa praised Turkey’s role during the Syrian civil war as “resolute and supportive,” adding that future relations would be friendly and cooperative.[10]

On 6 January 2025, al-Sharaa met in Damascus with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid team to discuss supporting Syria’s healthcare sector.[11] On 15 January, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze met with al-Sharaa to discuss hospital cooperation, becoming one of the first senior Western officials to visit Syria in more than a decade.[12] On 4 February, the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra performed for the first time since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. Among the audience were European and Gulf Arab diplomats, as well as al-Sharaa and his family.[13] On 29 March, the caretaker government was succeeded by the Syrian transitional government, and he succeeded Musaab Nazzal al-Ali as Minister of Health.[14][15]

Secretary-General to the Presidency (2025–present)

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Maher (left), together with his brother Ahmed (right), met Russian President Vladimir Putin in October 2025

On 5 April 2025, the Syrian Presidency appointed al-Sharaa as Secretary-General, succeeding Abdul Rahman Salama.[16] The position of Secretary-General was reportedly regarded as a high-ranking post within the Syrian state.[17]

In July 2025, al-Sharaa was reportedly supervising Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani during his meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.[18] On 13 August, Patriarch John X of Antioch met with al-Sharaa at the Damascus Patriarchate, and al-Sharaa offered condolences for the St. Elias Church martyrs, stressing that the crime threatens Syria’s unity.[19]

On 9 September, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak met with al-Sharaa to discuss prospects for broad bilateral cooperation.[20] On 28 September, al-Sharaa convened a meeting with the economy and transport ministers and the head of the Land and Sea Ports Authority to address the challenges in Syria’s land transport sector.[21]

On 15 October, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Moscow with his brother Maher, along with Syrian officials, al-Shaibani, Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, and General Intelligence Director Hussein al-Salama. His brother, Ahmed, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin Palace.[22]

Personal life

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Al-Sharaa is married to Tatyana Zakirova, a Russian-Syrian national of Russian ancestry. She was active in the business sector until 2020. The couple has three children: Rashid, Maria, and Kamel.[4][6] Al-Sharaa is the brother of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and the president of Syria following the fall of the Assad regime.[23]

Notes

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  1. ^ As the Assistant Secretary-General of the Presidency for Cabinet Affairs
  2. ^ As de facto leader until 29 January 2025
  3. ^ Arabic: ماهر الشرع, romanized: Māher ash-Sharaʿ; born 1973

References

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  1. ^ "صديق طفولة الجولاني يروي ما يعرفه عنه". Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  2. ^ "حسين الشرع.. تعرف إلى والد الرئيس السوري" [Hussein al-Sharaa: Meet the father of the Syrian president]. Al Jazeera Arabic (in Arabic). 22 April 2025. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Ahmed al-Sharaa's brother Maher appointed as Health Minister in Syria, here's the truth | Al Bawaba". www.albawaba.com. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "У нового президента Сирии невестка — россиянка" [The new Syrian president’s sister-in-law is Russian]. InfoResist (in Russian). 8 April 2025. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Al-Jolani's brother stirs controversy in Idlib". Enab Baladi. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Невесткой нового президента Сирии оказалась гражданка России" [The daughter-in-law of the new Syrian president turns out to be a Russian citizen]. Агентство (in Russian). 7 April 2025. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Гинеколог из Воронежа стал главой администрации президента Сирии". www.gazeta.ru. 7 April 2025.
  8. ^ "ПроДокторов – сайт отзывов пациентов о врачах №1 в России". prodoctorov.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  9. ^ a b Widespread Condemnation of Sharaa's Brother Appointment as Minister of Health & Rejection of His Condescending Rhetoric Towards Revolutionary Organizations, The Syrian Observer, 19 December 2024, Wikidata Q131522512, archived from the original on 21 December 2024
  10. ^ "Türkiye's position was 'resolute, honorable and supportive' throughout Syrian civil war: Interim health minister". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  11. ^ "New Syrian Administration's Health Minister Meets KSrelief Team". spa.gov.sa. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  12. ^ "German development minister in Syria to talk health care – DW – 01/15/2025". dw.com. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  13. ^ "At Damascus opera house, hopes for a better future - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012". www.al-monitor.com. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  14. ^ "President al-Sharaa announces formation of the New Government: We are witnessing the birth of a new phase in our national process". Syrian Arab News Agency. 30 March 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  15. ^ "تعرّف إلى السير الذاتية لوزراء أول حكومة سورية بعد سقوط نظام الأسد" [Learn about the biographies of ministers in Syria's first government after the fall of the Assad regime]. Syria TV (in Arabic). 30 March 2025. Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  16. ^ "ماهر الشرع يتسلّم الأمانة العامة لرئاسة الجمهورية السورية" [Maher al-Sharaa assumes the General Secretariat of the Syrian Presidency]. Syria TV (in Arabic). 6 April 2025. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's brother gets senior role in government". The New Arab. 6 April 2025. Archived from the original on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  18. ^ כלשהו, יוזר (31 July 2025). "Moscow, this morning: Maher al-Sharaa, the brother of President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who serves as the Secretary-General of the Syrian Presidency, is closely supervising the actions of Syrian Foreign..." אבו עלי אקספרס (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 20 September 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  19. ^ "The Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Maher Al-Sharaa, offering condolences to His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X:". The Middle East Council of Churches. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  20. ^ "Александр Новак посетил с рабочим визитом Сирию". government.ru (in Russian). 19 September 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  21. ^ "Meeting at the presidency to discuss challenges in Syria's land transport sector - Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)". 28 September 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  22. ^ "President al-Sharaa: We are seeking to Develop Strategic Relations with Russia - Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)". 15 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  23. ^ "شقيق قائد "هيئة تحرير الشام".. من هو الدكتور ماهر الشرع؟" [Brother of the Leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham: Who is Dr. Maher al-Sharaa?]. al-Mashhad (in Arabic). 17 December 2024. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.